Learn About Adrian Owen's Renowned Work

Dr. Owen’s scientific work has spanned a wide variety of disciplines—from his work with vegetative patients to exploring the cognitive building blocks that make up human intelligence.

Global Neuroscience Leader

Owen has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers and over 35 chapters and books. His work is highly cited, and has driven progress in understanding the structure of the brain, consciousness, cognitive testing, and intelligence.

Published in Prestigious Journals

Numerous Research Awards

Owen is the current Canada Excellence Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging—a title awarded by the Canadian government. In addition to other academic awards and grants, he frequently appears on "top scientists to watch" lists.

Trusted by Top Media Outlets

Countless media outlets have covered Owen's work, including front-page stories on the New York Times, TV appearances on BBC News and CNN, and numerous documentaries; see clips from some of them in the Resources section.

Areas of Research and Discovery

With almost 30 years of research under his belt, Dr. Owen has made significant contributions in many different scientific disciplines.

Vegetative States & Consciousness

Into the Gray Zone explores Owen’s journey into the border between life and death. Research published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet has pioneered new methods for communicating with people who appear to be in a vegetative state, giving new hope to the patients and their loved ones.

Brain Structure and Function

What secrets can the brain reveal when we look at it directly? Through functional neuroimaging, Owen has uncovered discoveries about how the brain works, both in healthy people and people with ailments such as Parkinson's Disease.

Human Intelligence

What makes one person perform better than another person at cognitive tasks? Is intelligence one thing or many things? Owen has developed computerized cognitive testing to help answer these questions. In one groundbreaking and controversial study, Owen and his colleagues argue that intelligence arises from several distinct cognitive systems, each with their own network in the brain.

Cambridge Brain Sciences

Dr. Owen has built his scientific career on developing unique ways of assessing brain function. Many of these methods can now be accessed by both the general public and the scientific community at Cambridge Brain Sciences. Owen is the Chief Scientific Officer for the service, which aims to make his groundbreaking research widely available

Brain Training

Many companies claim to be able to improve brain health using cognitive “training” games. Is there evidence for their effectiveness? With the help of primetime BBC science show "Bang Goes The Theory," Owen conducted the largest-ever study of brain training to date. The results were published in Nature, one of the world's leading scientific journals. View a reveal of the results in this BBC video.